Numbers

No Matter Where We Are

No Matter Where We Are

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Two Israelite men, Eldad and Medad, were part of a group of seventy elders that God had directed Moses to assemble.(1) We don’t know from which tribe these men originated. There is no further information about them other than this one reference in Scripture. For some unknown reason these two men, who were probably brothers, had not gone to the Tabernacle with the rest of the elders; they were still in the camp. However, when the Holy Spirit came upon the elders, He came upon all of the elders, including these two who weren’t in the tabernacle. Oh, and isn’t it interesting that theirs are the only names we know out of that group of seventy? Perhaps the Lord has a lesson for us to learn from these two men.

Called to Stand Guard

Called to Stand Guard

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God called the Levites to be in charge of the Tabernacle, and all of its furnishings and equipment. He called them to stand guard and protect it. When the Israelites were camped in the wilderness, God’s Spirit dwelt in the Tabernacle in their midst, but the area immediately surrounding His dwelling place was the home of the Levites. Whenever the pillar of cloud moved from the Tabernacle to lead the people, the Levites took down the Tabernacle and carried it. Whenever the cloud stopped, the Levites would set up the Tabernacle and prepare it for the indwelling presence of God’s Spirit.

The Levites were chosen by God and called to this role because of their response after the people had rebelliously worshiped the image of the golden calf. You may recall that Moses stood at the gate of the camp and said, “All of you who are on the LORD’s side, come over here and join me.” And all of the Levites came to him.

The Blessing

The Blessing

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Most every one of us has gone through a period in our life journey when we are walking through the unknown. It’s a journey through unfamiliar territory that can take on many different faces such as disease, financial hardship, the breakup of a relationship, the loss of a loved one, extended unemployment, or the like. Even when you know that God is walking with you through every step, and leading you through it, and drawing you close … it still is a journey that weighs heavily and causes you to become exceedingly weary. You may be walking through just such a journey right now. If that’s the case, my prayer is that this post will provide some respite for you.

The Israelites had been on the journey of their exodus from Egypt for approximately a year; and though they had experienced God’s provision and protection, they were weary and ready for the journey to be over….

It All Started With A Little Detour

It All Started With A Little Detour

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Have you ever been caught up in a detour you weren’t planning for or expecting? It was one of those unexpected or unforeseen events that came to you from out of the blue. It could have been related to a situation at work, or at home. It could have started with people you didn’t even know, or it could have started with those who are the closest to you. But the further you got down the road of that particular detour, the more agitated you became.

A number of years ago, as i was driving to pick up my then-teenage son, i encountered an intersection that had just been closed overnight to accommodate work on a new overpass. My only option was to retrace my steps in the opposite direction and make a lengthy detour around the blocked intersection. It was late and i was ready to be in bed; and i was not a happy camper. i could not get over how inconsiderate this construction company was – the miles they were adding to my journey, my time they were wasting, and ultimately the rest deprivation they were causing me. And the further i drove out of my way, the more agitated i became.

To a much greater degree, that is what happened to the Israelites….

The Minority Report

The Minority Report

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Are you at a place in your life journey right now that you believe God is telling you to do one thing, but the obstacles ahead just seem too overwhelming? Are your eyes of faith saying one thing, but your eyes of fear are saying another?

Eyes of fear will always look up at the obstacles from man’s perspective; eyes of faith will always look down at the obstacles from God’s perspective. Eyes of fear will always gaze out from under the circumstances; eyes of faith will always look over the circumstances in light of God’s promises. Eyes of fear will always be blinded by the visible; eyes of faith will always be illuminated by the unseen assurance of God.

Twelve men were sent ahead to explore the land….

The Load Is Far Too Heavy

The Load Is Far Too Heavy

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Have you ever found yourself being weighed down by a burden of leadership? It could have been as you led your family, your co-workers, a group from within your church, or a group of friends. Whatever the group was, God had ordered your steps to be in a position of leadership with the group.

At first, everything seemed to be going smoothly, but then the group encountered some type of difficulty. The “honeymoon” period ended abruptly and the people around you began to murmur and complain. You may be feeling weighed down in your role of leadership even today.

The Israelites often turned to murmuring throughout their journey in the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land….

Have You Encountered Any Giants Lately?

Have You Encountered Any Giants Lately?

Giants are those challenges or obstacles that we encounter in our journey through life that appear to be insurmountable and undefeatable. Sometimes they are people, but more often they are the circumstances that we are facing. They are larger than life and are overwhelming and intimidating. They stand between us and the realization of the promise that God has given us; and they pride themselves on confronting people that are already journeying through the uncertainty of a wilderness journey. Do not think they are an illusion. Not only do they look like they could defeat you, in many instances they truly do have their hearts set on doing just that.

Meet Og. Og was an Amorite king who lived in the city of Bashan. His kingdom was on the east side of the Jordan River. His kingdom was not truly a part of the land that God had promised the Israelites. The Israelites were simply planning to pass through his kingdom on the way to the Promised Land. But Og, like the other Amorite kings, decided that he wasn’t going to permit them to do so. He was going to stand in their way. Og had heard about the defeat of the other Amorite kings by the God of the Israelites; but that did not dissuade him. As far as he was concerned, that was them, but he was Og!